NEWTON -- Tensions between the families of murder victim Alyssa Ruggieri and the man accused of killing her, Giuseppe Tedesco, erupted into a fist fight in state Superior Court Wednesday after the jury failed to return a verdict for a second day.

Superior Court Judge N. Peter Conforti had just dismissed the jury for the evening break when an unidentified man shouted, "Way to go, dirt bag," from behind the defense table where the parents and relatives of Tedesco were sitting.

Tedesco's biological father stood up and confronted the man, shouting, "What are you looking at?"

The two men went after each other, while family members screamed, "No, no!"

The two sides of the courtroom dissolved into chaos as Sussex County sheriff's officers rushed into the fray and broke up the altercation.

The families were separated and taken to separate rooms within the courthouse. Officers quickly regained control of the situation and escorted the individual families out of the courthouse and into the parking lot.

While tempers were still heated, the large contingent of officers kept the situation from boiling over.

This wasn't the first outbreak in the courtroom. On Tuesday, Tedesco's biological father was thrown out of the courtroom for making remarks during the closing argument of Assistant Prosecutor Seana Pappas.

Tedesco's defense attorney, Anthony Iacullo, also complained to sheriff's officers about remarks made to him in the hallway as he entered the courtroom Wednesday.

So far, Conforti has only issued warnings about such outbursts, but the sheriff's officers are considering banning certain individuals from the courtroom for the verdict.

The jury has been deliberating for about a day and a half.

On Wednesday, jurors requested to hear the playback of the testimony given by the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Ruggieri, who was shot six times.

Junaid Shaikh, the Sussex County medical examiner who performed Ruggieri's autopsy, testified Dec. 20 that five of Ruggieri's six gunshot wounds were fired at close range and all but one would have been enough to kill her.

Tedesco is accused of killing Ruggieri, 22, of Hopatcong by shooting her with a handgun in her family's house on March 27, 2010. Tedesco is claiming he shot her in self defense.

Deliberations will continue at 9:30 a.m. today. The New Jersey Herald plans to livestream the verdict on its website: njherald.com/live. The trial began Dec. 4.

In Case You Missed It

In 1881, five short line regional railroads combined with the New Jersey Midland Railroad to form the New York, Susquehanna & Western Railway. This new line played an important role in hauling coal out of Pennsylvania to the greater New York metropolitan